Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark

          Stella Nichols and her group of friends decide to spend their Halloween night pulling a prank on a notorious school bully. Their prank ends up getting them trapped in a stranger’s car at a drive-in theater. Once they have befriended the stranger, they decide to take a visit up to a known haunted house as a way to escape the bully. Stella explains to Ramone, the new friend, the history of the family that owned the house and how they practically built the town with their paper mill factory. The Bellows, the family, had a daughter named Sarah who has had many rumors spread about her ever since her death. From killing kids to hanging herself with her own hair, this woman is quite the myth amongst the younger people in town. A secret room is discovered in the house which they presume to be the dungeon/bedroom the family kept Sarah in. Stella, in the room, finds a book with all of the scary stories that she had written. Part of the myth is 'if you go to the house at night and ask Sarah to tell you a story then something will happen.' Stella does this and also takes the book. This causes the group to go through some creepy shit. 

          In case you didn't know, this film is an adaption of a book that was written back in 1981 by Alvin Schwartz. The book is a collection of short scary stories all with the guise of it being written by a tortured person named Sarah. It’s always been a popular read and I remember reading it back in elementary school so to see that it was going to be turned into a film was exciting. The cherry on top was that it was going to be produced by Guillermo Del Toro, a very creature eccentric filmmaker. Andre Overdal, the director, was unfamiliar to me until I saw the trailer. I've seen bits and pieces of Trollhunter and never got around to watching The Autopsy of Jane Doe, but I was still ready to watch Scary Stories. I was prepared to see how this little enjoyment from my childhood would translate onto the screen. It’s the day after and having rested on it for some time I've come to a consensus on my feelings: It was pretty good, but slightly disappointing. Allow me to elaborate. 

          It’s not among the year’s best films, but I still had a good time. The best way I can describe how this movie felt for me is to juxtapose it with some others: The Ring and Signs. Back in elementary school, my friend and I had quite a few sleepovers and, even though it's been a while, I remember those two movies being our favorites. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is definitely a movie that we would've watched during a sleepover back in the day. It's not as scary as The Ring or Signs. Actually, it’s not scary at all nor is it as good, but it still knows how to build and maintain tension. The pacing is always churning so I never felt bored for the entirety of the film. 

           One reason that it's not the best of the year is due to a couple of reasons and one of them is the acting. It's not the worst, but I could never fully invest myself in the characters. I felt a small connection and the movie does its best to refrain from making them one dimensional, but I could’ve cared less for anyone except Stella and Ramone.  I’m glad the film wrote the supporting characters with a little more depth otherwise they would’ve been just like any other supporting character in any bad horror movie you think of in the last 5 years. However, it’s still a small connection. The dialogue also isn't the best. I started to laugh when Colletti's character said "the basement is downstairs." There are more examples, but the basement one is the one that comes to mind. With how decently the movie handled its tension, I was a bit disappointed when the climax happened. The film builds up to something more intense for the ending, but it takes a shorter and tamer path. It's not some grand fight with the ghosts or an intense ritual. It was disappointing is what it was. Not only that, but its open ended, leaving room for a possible sequel in the near future. I'm not sure if that’s necessary. It definitely could've just stopped here because I can't imagine a sequel to this movie being good.

          I still had a good time with the movie. It doesn't really have much of a payoff with its climax and the acting is empty for the most part, but I can still see myself turning this on and, at the very least, leaving it on in the background at a Halloween party. I've seen a couple of critics call this a "gateway" horror film and I think I kind of agree. If you're a horror novice and you’re wanting to get into the genre then this movie is a viable option to start off with. It's not scary and it's not that gruesome, but it still gives the inexperienced viewer an idea as to what’s out there in the horror genre. The viewer will ultimately find way better films as they explore the genre and get comfortable with the paranormal, but Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is still decent enough to offer a good time. There are better options out there if you’re wanting to get into horror, but this is probably a more “family-friendly” if that’s one of your concerns. Maybe wait until it's on a streaming service or at the dollar theater if you have one of those near you. 6.5/10